Ligachem Appoints Former Lunit CMO Chan Young Ock as Head of Translational Research Center

AI-Based Biomarkers and Clinical Development in ADC and Immuno-Oncology

Ligachem Bioscience Co., Ltd. (Ligachem Bioscience) announced on December 11 that it has appointed Dr. Chan Young Ock, former Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of global medical AI company Lunit and an expert in translational research (TR) in oncology, as the newly established Head of its TR Center.

Dr. Chan Young Ock holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Seoul National University College of Medicine and has served as a clinical professor in the Department of Oncology at Seoul National University Hospital. He is both a clinician and a specialist in translational research. Notably, during his six-year tenure as CMO at Lunit, he led the development of AI-based pathological biomarkers and spearheaded collaborative projects with numerous global pharmaceutical companies, including Genentech and AstraZeneca, successfully integrating AI technology into the oncology drug development pipeline. At Ligachem Bioscience, Dr. Ock will oversee the discovery and validation of biomarkers and the establishment of research and development strategies for the company’s ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) and immuno-oncology pipelines as Head of the TR Center.

Dr. Ock also co-founded 'Bang & Ock Consulting,' where for approximately six years he provided strategic advice on early clinical trials and translational research to numerous pharmaceutical and biotech companies based in Korea and the United States. He has accumulated practical experience in new drug development, including strategies for biomarker-based patient selection and the design of phase 1 clinical trials.

Dr. Ock has also achieved research results at a global level. He has published more than 100 papers in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology, and Clinical Cancer Research. He has presented his research findings more than 130 times at major international conferences, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), earning recognition for his academic influence in the field of oncology. In particular, his research on predictive biomarkers for immuno-oncology therapy response and quantitative proteomic analysis for targeted therapy patient selection has been recognized as presenting new directions for precision medicine-based cancer drug development.

Dr. Ock stated, "ADC and immuno-oncology therapies are at the core of next-generation cancer treatment, and appropriate biomarker-based patient selection is the key to success. I intend to leverage my accumulated experience in AI biomarkers and translational research from Lunit and consulting to validate the clinical value of Ligachem Bioscience’s innovative pipeline and enhance its competitiveness in the global market."

Kim Yongju, CEO of Ligachem Bioscience, said, "Based on Dr. Ock’s extensive experience in AI-driven drug research and development, we will further strengthen the scientific validity and clinical differentiation of our ADC and immuno-oncology pipelines, while also expanding partnership opportunities with global pharmaceutical companies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.